Real Estate: A Home Seller’s Checklist

I recently shared a blog post with the perfect Home Buyer’s Checklist. I wanted to make sure that people selling their homes had the same advantage, so I put together a home seller’s checklist for anyone looking to sell their home in an efficient amount of time at an effective price. So follow these steps and the process of selling your home should be a breeze!

Step One: Start Everything Early
The more prepared you are, the better. It’s best to start by going through all of your current possessions – throw out, give away, sell, or put into storage all of the things that you don’t want or that are cluttering up your home. It’s also a good idea to start packing early. Pick out all of the nonessential things that you won’t need before moving day, and box them up. It’ll make your house look more organized and spacious.

Step Two: Get Some Help
Be sure to hire an agent both to help sell your house, and in the area that you’re looking to move. If you’re just moving houses in the same area, you can usually use the same agent, if they’re versatile enough Things you should look for in an agent are someone who is: highly trained, has lots of experience, has a good track record, has good reviews from previous clients (and can provide references) and has a good knowledge of your housing market – meaning they can get you the best deal possible.

Step Three: Disclose Any Problems Up Front
First you’re going to want to identify any obvious problems or flaws in your home. Sellers are obligated to report any flaws in the structure or property of the house, such as dry rot, a leaky roof, molding, or more. If you fail to mention your flooded basement or the termites you have, you could be sued for fraud. Since most home buyers have the house inspected before purchasing it, you’re saving yourself time, money, and trouble by disclosing any problems up front.

Step Four: Get Your House Ready to Showcase – Internally and Externally
A few simple actions can increase your home’s value by thousands and increase potential buyers by the dozens. As far as externally, here are some improvement suggestions:
•Fresh paint job: Simply giving your house a “facelift” will really attract the attention of buyers
•Lawn: Keep the lawn freshly mowed and trimmed, as well as clean and without any clutter or junk.
•Sidewalks: Sweep sidewalks daily. A good powerwashing is also a good idea.
•Shrubbery detail: Make sure to get rid of any dead or dying plantlife, including trees, hedges, and shrubs.
•Flowers: It’s a good idea to fill flowerbeds with seasonal flowers to give your house a bright, welcoming glow.

Here are some internal improvements you can try:
•Take care of the floors: polish wood floors and vinyl flooring, and steam-clean your carpets.
•Clean and polish the kitchen: you want everything to look crisp and clean, including the oven, refrigerator, microwave, stovetop, and more.
•Eliminate any odors: Buyers can easily be turned off by weird smells, so watch out for mildew, pet odors, and more. Try a Glade plug-in if you want a fresh scent in the home.
•Get rid of clutter! Nothing makes a house look smaller than too much stuff. The more you clean out, the bigger and cleaner everything will look.
•Take care of easy cosmetic improvements: this includes fresh paint jobs, maybe some decorative pillows on the couches and beds, and other small things that can give your home a more charming look.